You’re Either Gonna Get a Dollar or a Gun

You can’t legislate morality. Dr. King said it.
But what happened to George Floyd wasn’t just immoral, it was undeniable.
It changed everything. Especially in banking.

Shootings happened before. Shootings happened after.
But George Floyd’s murder — captured in real time — flipped something.

The patience for equal financial opportunity ended.

For decades, we’ve pushed banks to change.
To stop redlining.
To serve communities they never served.
To follow CRA. To say “yes” when they used to say “no.”

But it didn’t work.

All the effort to eliminate redlining flatlined.

We were trying to fix a system built to protect itself.
A system built on safety and soundness — which meant never lending to the people who needed it most.

And now?

We’ve jumped over banks.

Minority communities aren’t asking for a seat at that table anymore.
We’re building new tables — through CDFIs, through fintech, through funding models that put community first.

The government isn’t just the last loss anymore — it’s becoming the first.
That flips the capital stack. That flips the power. That opens the door.

This isn’t about giving money away.
It’s about giving people the tools — and the trust — to manage it.

Capitalism can fund minority communities.

Not out of guilt. Not because it’s required.
But because it works.

Because it’s profitable.

That’s the shift.
That’s the opportunity.
That’s the future.